drive-by media

1 9.1

News outlets that give quick, shallow reports and often miss important facts

noun
/ˈdraɪvˌbaɪ ˈmiːdiə/

Literature

: medios de comunicación superficiales

The drive-by media reported on the event without verifying the facts.

Examples

Many people criticize drive-by media for spreading misinformation.
The senator blamed the drive-by media for misrepresenting his remarks in their reports.
Many critics argue that the drive-by media focuses on speed rather than accuracy.
People are increasingly skeptical of the drive-by media and its tendency to sensationalize news.
The politician criticized the drive-by media for spreading rumors instead of investigating the facts.
Many people distrust the drive-by media because they prioritize quick stories over thorough reporting.
During the crisis, the drive-by media focused on sensational headlines, ignoring important details.

Synonyms

press

vsdrive-by media

Literature

∞ 1.1

People and organizations that gather and publish news

is used for quick, surface reporting rather than all news gathering

news media

vsdrive-by media

Literature

127 2.3

Organizations like newspapers and TV that report and share news

refers specifically to rapid, shallow reporting instead of thorough coverage

lamestream

vsdrive-by media

Offensive

3 9.9

Mainstream news media seen as biased, dull, and not trustworthy

targets rapid, shallow coverage more than tone or respectability

yellow journalism

vsdrive-by media

Literature

2 5.2

Reporting that exaggerates and uses shocking stories to attract readers while ignoring the truth

focuses on quick, shallow reports rather than careful investigation

lamestream media

vsdrive-by media

Offensive

2 9.9

News outlets that people see as boring, unfair, or not serious

criticizes speed and superficiality rather than ideological bias

gutter press

vsdrive-by media

Offensive

1 8.1

Newspapers or magazines that print scandal stories and invade people's privacy to sell more copies

leans toward quick, surface reporting that may spread falsehoods

yellow media

vsdrive-by media

Literature

1 7.4

News outlets like some newspapers or TV shows that use gossip and scandal to attract attention

prioritizes speed and lack of fact checking over thorough reporting

How Thorough

news outlet

Literature

35 3.0

drive-by media

Literature

1 9.1

tabloid

Literature

176 3.7

clickbait article

Literature

1 4.1

Surface Forms

drive-by media singular

drive-by medias plural

Morphology

drive-by + media

The element 'drive-by' evokes an action done while passing (cf. 'drive-by shooting'), so combined with 'media' the phrase plausibly means media that report quickly or superficially — a meaning that is partly recoverable from the constituents. However, the sense is a metaphorical extension and relies on knowledge of the idiomatic use of 'drive-by', which many B1 learners who only know the literal words would not reliably infer, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Drive-by media comes from the image of a car that drives by quickly, hits something, and is gone in seconds. So, the phrase describes news outlets that give very quick, shallow stories and do not check facts carefully.